


Filling in the Gaps - Adoption Day

by Thefishoutofwater



Series: Filling in the Gaps [3]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Cussing, F/M, Friendship, Jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-28 00:17:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13259607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thefishoutofwater/pseuds/Thefishoutofwater
Summary: Meeting someone new and building a relationship together means taking time to get to know each others friends and each others history. Is Jo really ready for that?Jo finds out more about Alex's relationship with Zola.





	Filling in the Gaps - Adoption Day

**Author's Note:**

> I see this as fitting in early / mid Season 11. By now it's probably pretty clear I am not the biggest Jo fan but am fascinated by Alex' development throughout the series and especially his relationship with Meredith and her family. Read it whichever way you will. 
> 
> Not my characters.

Jo Wilson stood in the lift, sighed and half-heartedly rubbed at her neck trying to release the tightness there. Webber was on some sort of olden days kick; just one of the consequences of which was that her alarm had sounded before there was even a hint of light in the sky. She had pulled her weary body out of the bed reluctantly, leaving her boyfriend snoring gently. While he got to enjoy a day off she had spent the morning running up and down the length of the hospital bouncing from the paediatric ward to the ER down to the free clinic, all the time tailed by an almost silent, yet incompetent intern.

As the clock approached 1 pm Jo swiped through the doors of the paediatric floor for the fifth time not bothering to hold the door for the hapless intern. She was yet to eat lunch and imagined the only food she was going to manage for the day would come from a vending machine and could not quite believe the intern, whose name she really could not remember, had not even thought to provide her with a cup of coffee all morning. Her musings were cut short by the sight of a familiar dark head turning the corner ahead.

“Go see if the bloods we ordered are back yet.” She snapped without a second glance backwards as she paced down the corridor in hot pursuit. Turning the corner, she smiled as she saw Alex leaning over one of the nurses’ shoulder as she tapped furiously into the computer.

“Hey you.” Despite herself she smoothed her hair as she approached. “Couldn’t stay away then.” The tone was flirtatious and delivered with a wry smile, but he barely looked up.

“Jo,” he greeted her, “I’ll just be a minute. Nancy here is helping me with the advanced search on this thing.”

“Did you not go to the training Dr Karev?” the tone was arch, “I could help you with that.”

The nurse snorted quietly at the young resident and to her frustration Alex frowned.

“Not necessary thank you _Dr_ Wilson.” The dismissal rung in the air. Jo grabbed a tablet from the station and retreated to the far wall where she continued to covertly watch. After several minutes he thanked the nurse profusely and to Jo’s immense irritation he headed off in the direction of the patient rooms without a second glance at her.

Trying hard not to look like she was chasing him she scrolled through a few more pages, not really taking any information in and stretched before strolling off in the same direction.

“Dr Wilson?”

She frowned as her pursuit was thwarted by the intern waving a set of papers at her,

“They’re having issues scanning and uploading all the results at the moment, so they are a bit backed up, I’ve brought paper copies” he started to explain.

“Anything critical?” Jo interrupted.

“Erm,” he was flipping pages furiously, “No but we...”

“Okay thank you.” She held her hand out for the results, bit her lip and tried to sound more patient than she felt, “why don’t you take twenty minutes and try and get some food. You’ve got another eight hours here at least.”

“Wow thanks.” The young doctor was clearly flummoxed by the about turn in her mood and headed off quickly before she had the opportunity to change her mind. Not, Jo thought bitterly, that he offered to bring her anything back.

Cleared of distractions she paused outside of the room Alex had disappeared into. The patient was a small girl of perhaps five or six accompanied by an older man probably her grandfather. She had not treated the child and as she flicked through the tablet she was puzzled to see that she was also not one of Alex’s patients. Nevertheless, she watched as he smiled easily chatting away to the small girl who responded in kind. Jo watched confused but fascinated as Alex tapped away on his phone before passing it to the little girl who nodded vigorously laughing as she did. Alex stood, bending over to gently fist bump with the young girl before shaking her guardians hand.

“Thanks again Ella. Be good and do what Dr Norwood says.” She heard him say from the doorway. He looked up to see Jo leaning against the wall opposite and his smile slowly fell.

“Hey Jo,” he started, “sorry about earlier but you can’t be like that in front of the nurses. It’s not professional.”

Jo bit her lip as her temper started to build,

“Not professional? Who is round here? Anyway,” she continued, lying, as it looked like he was going to answer her, “I don’t care about that. Not really. I was just pleased to see you. I thought maybe you’d come to whisk me away for an exciting cafeteria lunch.”

He looked nervous Jo thought despite the smile,

“Sorry babe. Not today. I’m in a bit of a rush. I’ll see you tonight though. You’ll be home by what? Eight?”

He dropped a kiss on her cheek and started to walk away.

“Alex wait,” He paused and turned but made no attempt to approach her again, “What were you doing here?”

He looked a little embarrassed,

“It’s Zola’s adoption day party tonight,” he looked at the floor then the wall, apparently unwilling to meet her eyes,

“Shit I forgot about that.” Jo felt the tension in her shoulders return in full force, “that’s at your place, right? Will you be done by the time I get back?”

“I’d imagine so. I mean it’s not 20 screaming kids type party but it’s still a kids thing even if it is a Friday night.”

“Don’t know why its at yours anyway?” Jo was in full on sulk.

“We’ve been through this. It’s practical we’re closer to here for everyone to get over and Mer thinks it’s symbolic. I mean it’s where she first lived when they got her after all.”

Jo felt the tension rise to the beginning of a full-on headache. She took a deep breath and tried not to snap at the ‘Mer thinks’.

“Okay that aside then. You were here because?” she tried hard not to sound sarcastic.

“Oh, I thought I’d pop by and get some ideas for a gift.” He was embarrassed, “I didn’t want to ask Meredith – she’d have said not to bother. Anyway, I have a set of suggestions from someone just her age and I am now going to do battle at the mall,” his confidence was returning as he dropped another kiss on Jo’s head as he headed back towards the doors.

“Unbelievable.” Jo could not help the word escaping. He paused slightly having clearly heard her but then continued back towards the hospital proper at a slightly quicker pace. Jo sighed deeply.

Less than seven hours to go.

 

* * *

 

Jo hopped out of the cab as it pulled up outside of Alex’ house at close to ten o clock that evening. Her earlier frustrations had been largely dissipated by two large glasses of wine and an hour and a half unloading on Stephanie, who whilst remaining mainly unsympathetic to Jo’s current plight was more than willing to listen and nod in the right places whilst the drink kept flowing. The added bonus to her late arrival and improved mood thought Jo as she approached the house was that the guests were likely to have gone and she’d have Alex alone and peace in the house.

Her assumption seemed well founded as she approached the house, the hall lamp was on but dimmed and only the flicker of the fireplace shone through the family room window. The only car on the drive was Alex’s own and the house was quiet. She tried the door and found it open without having to scrabble in her purse for keys and as she pushed the door open she heard Alex quietly call from the family room,

“Jo is that you? Shhh go gently.” Her spirit sunk.

Heading into the entrance to the room she took in the scene before her. Her boyfriend was sprawled on his, no _their_ sofa a blanket tucked around his legs and his face half lit in firelight; a bottle of beer resting loosely in his hand. He looked up and smiled at her, apparently pleased to see her but held a finger up to his lips in the universal sign for quiet, gesturing with his head towards the fireplace where he had been staring.

The reason became clear. In front of the fire laying on the spare bedding and carefully covered in two blankets lay Meredith Grey, her small daughter tucked under her chin.

Jo tried to keep hold of her hard-won good mood and simply tilted her head and lifted an eyebrow as she sat down next to Alex reaching for his beer. He seemed to appreciate her calm and explained without further question

“Shepherd took Bailey home a little while ago – poor little man was on a sugar high and Zola wasn’t ready to go. He said he’d come back and get them once he got the little one settled but I said they could stay here and he’d fetch them tomorrow.” He paused, “So we made a fire. And then they dozed off.”

“And now you are sat here watching them.” Jo finished for him trying to keep her voice down and her temper in check.

“I guess.”

She wasn’t really expecting him to admit it and let out an inelegant snort at his honesty. She reached for his hand.

“I get it. I think.” She was trying and squeezed his hand gently. “I never had this growing up. A mom who’d nag a friend into hosting a party for me. A mom who’d build a fire and hold me all night. A mom full stop really.”

He laughed gently.

“This isn’t about me Jo. It’s about her.” He gestured with his head to the two sleeping in front of the fire.

“Meredith Grey?” Jo’s voice was not as low as she’d have liked as she stalked to the kitchen and poured a glass of wine from a half empty bottle, “Of course it is.”

“Shhh,” he warned her as she sat back down glass in hand, “No not Mer. Zola. I mean I came so close to messing this all up for her you know?”

“What?” Jo pulled her feet under her body as she leaned in closer to Alex. He rarely offered up personal information,

“I threw a temper tantrum that got Zola taken away from Mer and Shepherd for ages half way through their adoption process. In fact, it nearly split them up.” He paused lost in thought, “I brought this kid half way around the world to try and help her, got her health issues sorted so I felt like superstar and then she hit the jackpot and found a family… this great family and I fucked it all up.”

“Then you fixed it Alex.”

The pair on the sofa jumped as Meredith’s voice sounded quietly from the floor,

“Then you fixed it.” She repeated. She cradled her daughter awkwardly as she started to sit up. Jo watched as Alex jumped up to take the little girl from her, placing her gently on a chair, blanket snuggled around her. Meredith unfolded herself gently rubbing at her back,

“You think I didn’t know?” An eyebrow lifted as she stepped closer to Alex, “We heard the whole story in the end. You could have been arrested ‘negotiating ‘with a judge like that but you went and did it anyway,” her right hand touched gently at Alex’s shoulder before she bent to pick up the bedding. As she straightened she turned to Jo,

“Don’t listen to him Wilson. He brought this little girl half way round the world to fix her, more than once I might add and then moved heaven and earth to make sure she got a family. A forever family. If she looks at him from time to time like he hung the moon it’s because for her he did.” She shook her head as if embarrassed by what she’d said and the continued in a brisker tone,

“Also he spoils her,” a head nod to the toy store bag at the end of the sofa, “And he’s now going to do me a favour and carry her to a proper bed?” A quick glance at Alex who gave a barely imperceptible nod “Night Wilson”

“Night Dr Grey.” A quiet response as Jo pondered, for once not hung up on the sight of the two old friends climbing the stairs together child in arms but rather in what she had been told.


End file.
